System and apparatus for preparing a beverage suitable for consumption

ABSTRACT

A system for preparing a consumable beverage, wherein a liquid and a granular material are brought together to produce the beverage. The system includes at least one vacuum pack enclosing a beverage making granular material therein. The free end of the pack defines a longitudinal narrow gap, and a closing seam adjacent the free end that retains the granular material within the vacuum pack. A holder is configured to receive and fully enclose the vacuum pack therein. A liquid dispensing mechanism is provided for dispensing a liquid. A needle-shaped tube connects to the liquid dispensing mechanism and includes a free end for piercing the vacuum pack and introducing the liquid into the vacuum pack. The holder includes an opening at one end to allow the end of the vacuum pack to extend below the holder when the vacuum pack is placed within the holder, and the holder further includes a movable sidewall positioned to engage the opposite end of the vacuum pack. A drive mechanism connected to the movable sidewall forcibly presses the movable sidewall against the opposite end whereby the vacuum pack is tightly pressed against the holder. Clamping plates are positioned to press against the portion of the vacuum pack that extends below the holder to maintain the narrow gap once the closing seam is opened by the internal pressure.

The invention relates to a method for preparing a beverage suitable forconsumption, and to a system and apparatus for carrying out such method.

More in particular, the invention relates to a method for preparing abeverage suitable for consumption such as coffee, wherein a liquid and agranular material such as ground coffee are brought together to producethe beverage.

Such apparatuses and methods are known per se. In the known apparatusand method for preparing coffee, for instance ground coffee isintroduced in a bowl-shaped container. This bowl-shaped container isopen at its top side, while in the bottom of the container a largenumber of small orifices have been provided. These small orifices form abarrier to the ground coffee. Next, hot water is fed under high pressureto the ground coffee via the open top side. The coffee extract thusformed in the container can leave the container via the small orificesto be subsequently received in a cup disposed therebelow.

A drawback of this known system is that preparing coffee in this mannertakes up relatively much time. In particular the filling of thebowl-shaped container with ground coffee costs much time. Also, it isnot guaranteed that the right amount of coffee is included into thecontainer for obtaining coffee of the desired taste. Moreover, it is notguaranteed that always the right quality of coffee is introduced intothe container. When the ground coffee has been stored for a considerabletime in for instance a coffee canister, the aroma may have largelydisappeared, so that the beverage eventually obtained does not meet thehighest requirements. In particular in hotels, restaurants, cafes, etc.,this involves a substantial drawback. It is an object of the inventionto provide a solution to this problem. It is a particular object of theinvention to provide a method and apparatus suitable for preparing onlyone consumption.

According to the invention, the method comprises a number of steps,wherein:

a vacuum pack made from a thin-walled and flexible packing sheet (foil)is placed in a holder which, in use, tightly encloses the vacuum pack atleast partially, the vacuum pack being filled with the granular materialand comprising a closing seam interconnecting opposite parts of thepacking sheet;

a free end of at least one needle-shaped tube is introduced into theinner space of the vacuum pack; and wherein

via the needle-shaped tube, a liquid is fed under pressure to the innerspace of the vacuum pack, so that under the influence of the liquidpressure in the vacuum pack, this closing seam opens at least partially,with the beverage formed in the vacuum pack flowing out of the vacuumpack via the opening.

As the beverage is made from the granular material contained in thevacuum pack, it is guaranteed that the granular material is fresh at alltimes. The free end of the needle-shaped tube can for instance bebrought into the inner space of the vacuum pack by pricking it throughthe flexible packing sheet immediately before the moment when theconsumption is to be prepared. It is also guaranteed that at all times aproper amount of granular material is used for preparing the beverage.Indeed, the vacuum pack may have been manufactured in advance, so thatit is determined from the factory what amount of granular materialshould be used for preparing for instance a one-cup consumption.

According to a particular aspect of the invention, the vacuum pack isopened as a result of the liquid pressure in the inner space of thevacuum pack. This pressure is created by the liquid that is fed to theinner space of the vacuum pack via the needle-shaped tube. Thus, aparticularly great ease of use is guaranteed, because a user does nothave to open the vacuum pack with his own hands, with the risk ofgranular material falling from the opened vacuum pack.

According to a particular aspect of the invention, opposite and at leastsubstantially abutting parts of the packing sheet are pressed towardseach other adjacent the closing seam, so that at least one narrow gapbetween these parts forms a filter which passes the beverage and forms abarrier to the granular material.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, opposite partsof the packing sheet adjacent the closing seam are attached to eachother at a number of different positions, so that between thesepositions gaps are formed which act as a filter which passes thebeverage and forms a barrier to the granular material.

In particular, the holder comprises relatively movable sidewalls thatare pressed against the vacuum pack during at least a portion of theperiod in which, via the needle-shaped tube, a liquid is fed to thevacuum pack. It is thus ensured that it is possible to create a highpressure in the vacuum pack without involving the risk of the vacuumpack being blown up. The holder then provides that the vacuum pack canproperly withstand the internal high pressure.

According to a highly advanced embodiment of the method, the vacuum packcomprises a rectangular bottom wall having a first and a second pair ofopposite longitudinal edges, two opposite rectangular vertical sidewallsextending in upward direction towards each other from the first pair oflongitudinal edges and interconnected at their top sides via the closingseam, and two opposite, triangular vertical sidewalls extending inupward direction from the second pair of longitudinal edges; and theholder comprises two opposite vertical sidewalls, wherein the distancebetween these sidewalls at a top side of the holder is greater than thedistance between the sidewalls at a bottom side of the holder, theholder is at its bottom side provided with an opening, and wherein thevacuum pack is placed in the holder in such a manner that the bottomwall of the vacuum pack faces upwards while the closing seam of thevacuum pack faces downwards. In this embodiment, the needle-shaped tubewill preferably be pricked through the bottom wall of the vacuum pack.

A system for preparing a beverage suitable for consumption, such ascoffee, wherein a liquid and a granular material such as ground coffeeare brought together to produce the beverage, is characterized in thatthe system comprises at least one vacuum pack that is manufactured froma thin-walled and flexible packing sheet and has a closing seaminterconnecting opposite parts of the packing sheet, and is filled withthe granular material, and an apparatus comprising a holder filled withthe vacuum pack, liquid-dispensing means for dispensing the liquid and aneedle-shaped tube connected to the liquid-dispensing means, wherein thesystem further comprises filter means and wherein, in use, the holderencloses the vacuum pack substantially tightly, a free end of theneedle-shaped tube extends into the vacuum pack via an opening in thevacuum pack, the liquid-dispensing means supply liquid to the innerspace of the vacuum pack via the needle-shaped tube, the closing seamopens at least partially under the influence of the liquid pressure inthe vacuum pack, whereupon the beverage formed in the vacuum pack leavesthe vacuum pack via the closing seam and the filter means.

The invention further relates to an apparatus comprising a holder forreceiving a vacuum pack made from a thin-walled and flexible packingsheet, which vacuum pack comprises a closing seam interconnectingopposite parts of the packing sheet and is filled with the granularmaterial, liquid-dispensing means for dispensing the liquid and aneedle-shaped tube connected to the liquid-dispensing means, wherein theholder comprises relatively movable sidewalls and pressure means forpressing these sidewalls against the vacuum pack.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be specified with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. In these drawings:

FIG. 1A shows, in perspective, a possible embodiment of a vacuum packaccording to the invention;

FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along 1B—1B in FIG. 1Aillustrating the gap at the end of the vacuum pack;

FIG. 2 shows a possible embodiment of a system and an apparatusaccording to the invention for performing a method according to theinvention;

FIG. 3A shows, in perspective, a second possible embodiment of a vacuumpack according to the invention;

FIG. 3B shows a portion of a side elevation, in transparent view, of thevacuum pack according to FIG. 3A;

FIG. 4A shows a holder of an alternative embodiment of the apparatusaccording to FIG. 2;

FIG. 4B shows a flexible envelope in which the holder according to FIG.1A in the alternative embodiment according to FIG. 2 is placed;

FIG. 4C shows the rigid housing in which the flexible envelope of FIG.4B in the alternative embodiment according to FIG. 4B is placed; and

FIG. 5 shows an alternative embodiment of a system and an apparatusaccording to the invention for performing a method according to theinvention.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, a possible embodiment of a vacuum pack is shown byreference numeral 1. The vacuum pack 1 is made from a flexible packingsheet (foil) 2 and is in this example filled with ground coffee 4. Thevacuum pack 1 comprises a rectangular bottom wall 6 having a first pair8 and a second pair 10 of opposite longitudinal edges. The vacuum packfurther comprises two opposite rectangular vertical sidewalls 12,extending towards each other in upward direction from the first pair oflongitudinal edges 8. At their top sides, the vertical sidewalls 12 areinterconnected via a closing seam 14. This closing seam 14 can forinstance be provided through heat-sealing. The vacuum pack furthercomprises two opposite triangular vertical sidewalls 16 extending inupward direction from the second pair of longitudinal edges 10.

FIG. 2 shows a system 18 comprising the vacuum pack according to FIGS.1A and 1B and an apparatus 20 in which the vacuum pack 1 is included forthe preparation of, in this case, one cup of coffee.

The apparatus comprises a holder 22 filled with the vacuum pack 1. Theapparatus further comprises liquid-dispensing means for dispensingliquid. In this case, the liquid-dispensing means dispense under highpressure of for instance 2-6 atm hot water to a conduit 28 via an outlet26. In this example, the conduit 28 is manufactured from a flexiblematerial. The conduit 28 feeds the hot water to a needle-shaped tube 30.

The apparatus further comprises drive means 32 for moving theneedle-shaped tube 30 to and fro in its longitudinal direction relativeto the holder 22. In this example, the holder 22 is of funnel-shapeddesign so that the sidewalls of the holder tightly enclose the vacuumpack when the vacuum pack is positioned upside down in the holder (seealso FIG. 2). The holder has its top side provided with a rigid sidewall34 which is movable relative to the other rigid sidewalls of the holder22. For this purpose, the sidewall 34 is connected to a drive mechanism38 by means of a shaft 36. By means of the drive mechanism 38, thesidewall 34 can be moved up and down. Provided in the sidewall 34 is anopening 40, enabling the needle-shaped tube 30 to extend through thisopening into the inner space of the holder 22 and, accordingly, into theinner space of the vacuum pack 1. Further, at the bottom side of theholder 22, a slotted outlet opening 42 is provided, through which theflap-shaped top end 44 of the vacuum pack reaches outside. As can bestbe seen in FIG. 1B, flap of the vacuum pack has a gap 46 at its topside, which gap is formed by opposite sidewalls 12 of the vacuum pack 1.As will be specified hereinbelow, according to a particular aspect ofthe invention, this gap may act as filter means which passes a liquidand forms a barrier to the granular material contained in the vacuumpack.

The apparatus further comprises opposite clamping means 48 which, inuse, can press the above-mentioned opposite sidewalls of the flap-shapedportion 44 of the vacuum pack 1 towards each other to obtain a narrowgap between these sidewalls 12 of the vacuum pack. The clamping means 48consist of two flat plates 50 located on either side of the flap-shapedpart 44 that can be moved towards and from each other by means of drivemeans 52. The apparatus further comprises a control unit 54 controllingthe liquid-dispensing means 24, the drive means 32, the drive mechanism38 and the drive means 52.

The operation of the apparatus according to FIG. 2 is as follows. Bymeans of signals Ŝ, the control unit 54 controls the drive means 32 andthe drive mechanism 38 so that the needle-shaped tube 30 and thesidewall 34 are moved upwards. This involves the top side of the holder22 becoming entirely clear. Via the opening 56, a vacuum pack as shownin FIG. 1 can now be inserted into the holder 22. When this has beendone, a user can for instance press a button 58 of the control unit 54to indicate that now a new consumption can be prepared. The control unit54 activates the drive mechanism 38 so that the sidewall 34 is moveddown until it touches the rectangular bottom wall 6 of the vacuum pack1. Then, the drive mechanism 38 continues pressing the sidewall 34against the bottom wall 6 of the vacuum pack 1. As a result, the vacuumpack 1 is pressed down as a whole. Owing to the funnel shape of theholder 22, the sidewalls of the holder will enclose the vacuum packtightly. Also, the control unit 54 controls the drive means 52 so thatthe flat plates are pressed towards each other. As a result, theclamping means, located in the flap-shaped portion 44, press theopposite sidewalls of the vacuum pack together to obtain a narrow gap 46between these sidewalls of the vacuum pack. The control unit 54 controlsthe drive mechanism 32 for moving the needle-shaped tube 30 downwards.This will involve the needle-shaped tube 30 being moved through theopening 40 of the sidewall 34. As a result, the free end 60 of theneedle-shaped tube 30 will draw an opening in the bottom wall 6 of thevacuum pack. The needle-shaped tube 30 will now extend into the innerspace of the vacuum pack 1. Then, the control unit 54 activates theliquid-dispensing means 24. This causes hot water to be fed to theneedle-shaped tube 30 via the conduit 28. The hot water will be forcedinto the inner space of the vacuum pack 1 via the open end 60 of theneedle-shaped tube. Because of the supply of the hot water to the innerspace of the vacuum pack 1, the pressure in the vacuum pack willincrease. As the vacuum pack is tightly enclosed by the holder 22 on allsides, the vacuum pack will not bulge notably as a result of the highinternal pressure. However, the pressure on the closing seam 14 willincrease substantially. At a given moment, the pressure will haveincreased thus highly that the closing seam 14 bursts open. This willpermit the extract meanwhile formed in the vacuum pack 1 to flow out ofthe vacuum pack 1 via the gap 46, to be for instance received in acontainer 61. The narrow gap 46 here acts as a filter which forms abarrier to granular material in the vacuum pack and which passes thecoffee extract formed. The clamping means 48 provide that this gapremains sufficiently narrow to be able to function properly as a filter.Next, the control unit 54 stops the liquid-dispensing unit 24 when theright amount of hot water has been dispensed. The extract beveragecontained in the container 61 is now ready for consumption. The controlunit 54 then activates the drive means 52 for moving the flat plates 50apart. The control unit 54 also activates the drive means 32 for movingthe needle-shaped tube 30 upwards so that it is pulled from the usedvacuum pack 1. Then, the drive mechanism 38 is activated for moving thesidewall 34 upwards. The used vacuum pack 1 can now be removed from theholder 22, after which the apparatus is ready to be filled with a newvacuum pack 1 for preparing coffee afresh as described hereinabove. Itis observed that in the embodiment according to FIG. 2, the apparatuscomprises relatively movable sidewalls (sidewall 34 relative to othersidewalls of the holder 22) and pressure means (drive mechanism 38) forpressing these sidewalls against the vacuum pack during at least aportion of the period in which a liquid is fed to the vacuum pack viathe needle-shaped tube.

According to a particular variant, the clamping means 48 of theapparatus 20 are omitted. In that case, however, a slightly modifiedtype of vacuum pack is used, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. The vacuumpack according to FIGS. 3A and 3B is characterized in that the oppositesidewalls 16 of the vacuum pack 1 in the flap-shaped portion 44 areattached to each other at a number of positions 62 in such a manner thatgaps 64 are formed between these positions. These gaps 64 now form theabove-mentioned filter means. The attachment of the opposite sidewallsof the packing sheet at position 62 is of such a strong design, forinstance by means of heat-sealing, that this attachment is not brokenwhen the liquid pressure in the pack is substantially increased. Whencoffee is to be prepared by means of the vacuum pack according to FIGS.3A and 3B, this pack is placed in the holder 22 as discussed in respectof FIG. 2. The control unit 54 will activate the drive mechanism 38 forpressing the sidewall 34 downwards. When the vacuum pack is thus tightlyenclosed by the holder 22, the control unit 54 activates the drive means32 so that the needle-shaped tube 30 is moved downwards. By means of thefree end 60, a puncture is made in the bottom of the vacuum pack, asdescribed hereinabove. Then, the control unit 54 activates theliquid-dispensing means for feeding hot water to the inside of thevacuum pack 1. Because of the high pressure in the vacuum pack, theclosing seam 14, in this example located between the bottom wall 6 andthe gaps 64 of the vacuum pack, will be pulled open. Next, the coffeeextract will leave the vacuum pack 1 via the gaps 64 to be received inthe bowl 61. However, the gaps 64 are thus narrow that the ground coffee4 does not leave the vacuum pack.

It is observed that it is also possible that in the vacuum packaccording to FIG. 3A, the positions 62 and the gaps 64 are locatedbetween the closing seam 14 and the bottom wall 10. Such variants areall understood to fall within the framework of the invention.

With reference to FIG. 4, an alternative embodiment of an apparatusaccording to the invention will now be described. According to thisembodiment, the complete holder 22, except the sidewall 34 of the holder22, is replaced by a holder as shown in FIG. 4A. This holder is includedin a flexible envelope as shown in FIG. 4B, which flexible envelope isincluded in a rigid housing as shown in FIG. 4C.

The holder 22′ as shown in FIG. 4A has a shape corresponding to theholder 22 as shown in FIG. 2. However, the holder comprises a first pairof opposite vertical sidewalls 66, the distance between these sidewallsat a top side 68 of the holder being greater than the distance betweenthese sidewalls at a bottom side 70 of the holder. The holder has itsbottom side again provided with a slotted outlet 26, through which, inuse, the flap-shaped portion 44 of the vacuum pack 1 can projectoutside. In FIG. 4A, the vacuum pack as included in the holder 22′ inuse is shown in dotted lines.

These two opposite vertical sidewalls 66 of the holder 22′ are designedfor movement relative to each other. These sidewalls 66 areinterconnected at their bottom sides adjacent the slotted outlet 26 bymeans of V-shaped springs 71 whose legs are each attached to an insideof a vertical sidewall 66. The holder 22′ further comprises a secondpair of opposite sidewalls 72, designed for movement relative to eachother. The sidewalls 72 are of triangular design, the arrangement beingsuch that the sidewalls 72 and 66 substantially have the shape of thevacuum pack 1 when the vacuum pack 1 is placed upside down. By means offlexible connections 74, the sidewalls 72 are connected to the sidewalls66, with the sidewalls 72 being situated outside the space between thesidewalls 66. The flexible connections 74 can for instance be formed byflexible plastic threads.

The holder 22′ is inserted into the flexible envelope 76 which forms theabove-mentioned pressure means, with a fluid pressure member 78. Theflexible envelope 76 is double-walled and substantially follows theshape of the vertical sidewalls of the holder 22′. The flexible envelopeis open at its top and bottom sides and has hence the shape of atapering cylinder. The flexible envelope is entirely of double-walleddesign. Between the double walls, an inner space 80 is present. Theflexible envelope further comprises an inlet 82 for feeding a fluid,such as for instance compressed air, to the inner space 80. In thisexample, by means of the pressure member 78, compressed air is suppliedto the inlet 82.

In turn, the flexible envelope 76 is included into the rigid housing 84,shown in FIG. 4C. The rigid housing again generally follows the shape ofthe holder 22′. Provided in a sidewall 86 of the rigid housing 84 is anopening 88 through which the inlet 82 of the flexible envelope 76 canproject outside. The rigid housing 86, too, has its bottom side providedwith a slotted opening 90 through which the flap-shaped portion 44 ofthe vacuum pack 1 can project outside. The rigid housing 84 is open atits top side. When the holder 22 of FIG. 1 is replaced by the assemblyconsisting of the holder 22′, the flexible envelope 76 and the rigidhousing 84, an apparatus and system as shown in FIG. 5 is formed. InFIG. 5, the holder according to FIG. 4A and the envelope according toFIG. 4B are left out, for the sake of convenience. The operation of thesystem is as follows.

The control unit 54 controls the drive means 32 and the drive mechanism38 in such a manner that the needle-shaped tube 30 and the sidewalls 34are moved entirely upwards. A user can then place a vacuum pack 1 upsidedown in the holder 22′. The flap-shaped portion 44 of the vacuum pack 1projects outside through the openings located at the bottom side of theholder 22′, the flexible envelope 76 and the rigid housing 84. In thisexample, the vacuum pack 1 is of a type as described with respect toFIG. 3A. This explains why in the apparatus according to FIG. 5 theclamping means 48 are left out, although this is of course not essentialto the invention. When the vacuum pack 1 has thus been inserted into theholder, the control unit 54 activates the drive mechanism 38 for movingthe sidewall 34 downwards. In other words, the vertical sidewalls of theholder 22 on the one hand and the horizontal sidewall 34 of the holderon the other are movable relative to each other. The control unit 54also activates the pressure member 78. This causes compressed air to besupplied to the inner space 80 of the flexible envelope 76. The flexibleenvelope 76 is thereby inflated. As the flexible envelope is containedwithin the rigid housing 84, the flexible envelope 76 will press theopposite sidewalls 66 of the holder 22′ towards each other. The flexibleenvelope will also press the opposite sidewalls 72 towards each other.Consequently, the vacuum pack 1 is tightly enclosed. After or before thevacuum pack is tightly enclosed, or simultaneously therewith, thecontrol unit 54 activates the drive means 32 so that the needle-shapedtube 30 is moved downwards. The free end 60 of the needle-shaped tube 30is them pricked through the bottom 66 of the vacuum pack 1 and iseventually located within the vacuum pack. Then, the control unit 54activates the liquid-dispensing means 24 for feeding, in this example,hot water to the vacuum pack 1. This hot water will again cause thepressure in the vacuum pack to increase substantially. As the holder 22′encloses the vacuum pack 1 tightly, the hot water will find an escapevia the closing seam 14 of the vacuum pack. When the pressure issufficiently high, the closing seam 14 will be torn open and the extractcan leave the vacuum pack via the gaps 46 and flow to the bowl 61. It isobserved that the control unit 54 activates the pressure member 78 inany case during a period in which hot water is fed to the vacuum pack 1.

It is also observed that the invention is by no means limited to theembodiments described hereinabove. For instance, the vacuum pack mayalso be of rectangular design. In that case, the holder 22, the holder22′, the flexible envelope 76 and the rigid housing 84 may likewise berectangular, i.e. having their shapes adapted to that of the vacuumpack. Preferably, the apparatus as described hereinabove is used forpreparing one cup of coffee. However, it is also possible to prepare twoor more and even a pitcher of coffee by means of the apparatus. In thatcase, however, a larger vacuum pack should be used, because more groundcoffee is necessary. Such variants are all understood to fall within theframework of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for preparing a consumable beverage,wherein a liquid and a granular material are brought together to producethe beverage, comprising: at least one vacuum pack formed from athin-walled and flexible packing sheet enclosing a beverage makinggranular material therein, the at least one vacuum pack having a freeend and an opposite end, the free end defining a longitudinal narrow gapbetween opposite parts of the packing sheet, and a closing seam adjacentsaid free end interconnecting the opposite parts of the packing sheet toretain the granular material within the at least one vacuum pack, saidclosing seam being releasable due to liquid pressure injection into thepack to open the pack, and the distance between the opposite parts ofthe packaging sheet in the gap being sufficient to form a filter whichblocks the granular material from leaving the vacuum pack when theclosing seams is opened; an apparatus including a holder configured toreceive and fully enclose the at least one vacuum pack therein, liquiddispensing means for dispensing a liquid, and a needle-shaped tubeconnected to the liquid dispensing means, the needle-shaped tubeincluding a free end for piercing the opposite end of the at least onevacuum pack and introducing the liquid into the at least one vacuumpack; said holder including an opening at one end to allow the free endof the vacuum pack to extend below the holder when the vacuum pack isplaced within the holder, and said holder further including a movablesidewall positioned to engage the opposite end of the at least onevacuum pack, and a drive mechanism connected to the movable sidewall forforcibly pressing the movable sidewall against the opposite end wherebythe vacuum pack is tightly pressed against the holder; and the apparatusfurther including clamping plates positioned to press against theportion of the free end of the vacuum pack that extends below the holderto maintain said narrow gap between the opposite parts of the packingsheet once the closing seam is opened by the internal pressure caused bythe injection of said liquid, the gap maintained by the clamping platesbeing sufficient to form a filter that permits the prepared beverage topass but blocks passage of said granular material.
 2. The systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the needle-shaped tube is movable relativeto the movable sidewall.